The Birth Of Deception
by purplepagoda
Summary: It starts with a kernel of untruth... What happens when Maura allows her feelings to get in the way? What happens when Jane gets to the bottom of who is behind this vendetta against her? It the person responsible someone they don't know, or someone alarmingly close to them?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I apologize for loading the wrong document. That was totally my fault. Hope you enjoy this._

* * *

She has turned off the light in her office, and has her bag in hand. She exits the office, and pulls the door closed behind her. Kent rounds the corner, and nearly bumps into her.

He grins, revealing dimples, "Sorry, Dr. Isles."

"It's okay," she reciprocates with a smile.

"Are you heading out?"

"Yes," she nods in confirmation.

"Can I walk you out?"

"Sure," she nods in agreement.

"Who is taking you home? I thought that you said earlier that your car was in the shop."

"Jane," she answers.

"Isn't Jane on a stakeout," he recalls an earlier conversation.

"You're right. She gave me a ride in this morning. I totally forgot she had to go on a stake out. I guess I will just call Angela and have her pick me up."

"I can drop you home."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," he insists.

"I don't want to inconvenience you."

"It's not an inconvenience at all."  
"You're sure?"

"Yes," his smile is plastered on his face.

When they arrive at her house he insists on walking her in. He exits the vehicle, and looks over at her.

"Maura, you can never be too careful, you know."

"I'll be okay," she tells him.

"I would just feel better if I walked you in. It would put my mind at ease."

"Okay," she agrees.

He follows her to the front door. She reaches into her purse, and digs out her keys. She unlocks the door, and feels a hint of anxiety. She turns around, and finds Kent staring at her.

"Would you like to come in?"

"Would you mind? I just want to make sure that there isn't anyone here," he answers.

"Did Jane put you up to this?"

"No," he shakes his head.

She pushes the door open, and enters, allowing him to follow her in. She flips on lights as she makes her way through the house. She kicks out of her heels before she reaches the kitchen. He follows her into the kitchen, and glances around their general vicinity. She feels a nagging sense that she should be cordial. She exhales her sense of anxiety, and feigns a smile.

"Can I offer you a drink?"

"I would love a drink," he agrees.

"I have cabernet, merlot, and some unappetizing beer that Jane left in the fridge. I also have some champagne, a bottle of vodka, and there is a bottle of bourbon around here somewhere as well. Angela bought it for a recipe that she made."

"What are you having?"

"Probably merlot," she admits.

"Bourbon sounds like it would whet my whistle."

"Okay."

She fills a couple of glasses with ice, and pours the bourbon into them. She hands him one, and takes the other.

"I thought that you said you were having merlot."

"I didn't want you to feel like the odd man out," she admits.

He chuckles. She locks eyes with him as they sip their bourbon. She recognizes a look of mystery in his eyes. She wonders to herself what mysteries they hold. A few rounds later, and their sharpness has dulled. Maura leans against the counter. She laughs at something that he says, and accidentally knocks over her glass. He turns around, and grabs a paper towel. She reaches out to stop him.

"You are a guest, you don't have to do that. I am the one who knocked it over," her pulse quickens as she realizes how close he is to her.

"It's okay, I want to."

Her breath hitches, "Leave it," she whispers.

"What?"

"Leave it," she repeats, as she takes a step closer to him.

He places the paper towel on the counter, and she doesn't back away as he presses his lips against hers.

* * *

The following morning she wakes up to the sound of her phone vibrating. She grapples for the phone, finding it lying on the floor, near the bed. She pulls the phone to her ear, and answers.

"Dr Isles," she answers in a raspy tone. The answering service lets her know that there has been a murder, and that they will text her the address, "Thank you," she hangs up. She leans back, and her head throbs. She opens her eyes, and surveys her surroundings. She is lying in her bed, alone, and tangled in her satin sheets. She sits up, holding her sheet to her body, as she realizes that she has nothing on but the sheet. She finds her clothes scattered on the floor of her room. She crawls out of bed, and heads to the bathroom. She turns on the shower. Once the water has warmed up, she crawls inside. As the hot water hits her skin her thoughts begin on loop.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She asks herself.

She quickly exits the shower, and towels off. She secures her hair into a braid. She opens the medicine cabinet, and takes an aspirin. She quickly gets dressed, and heads down the stairs, after putting her face on. When she reaches the kitchen she finds Angela waiting on her.

"Jane said she will be here to pick you up in a couple of minutes."

"Okay."

Angela places a bowl of oatmeal in front of her, "You should eat."

"I'm not hungry," she argues.

Maura hears the dishwasher on in the background, "You didn't have to do the dishes," she insists.

"I don't mind. Eat your breakfast," Angela instructs as Maura stands at the island, staring at the spot where she spilled bourbon the previous evening.

"Angela you don't have to clean up after me," Maura tells her.

"Maura, don't worry about it."

Before she can argue she hears a car horn outside. She turns, and heads for the door. She slips on her pumps, and grabs her bag from the entry way. She pulls the door open, and heads outside, as she pulls on her coat. She climbs in the car with Jane. Jane looks over at her.

"You look like you had a rough night," Jane comments.

Maura shakes her head, and has an internal debate of whether she should tell Jane, or not. Her lips begin spewing the truth before she can stop them.

"Jane, I think I've made a mistake."

Jane begins backing out of the driveway, "What are you talking about? How did you get home last night?"

"Kent brought me home," she answers.

Jane stops abruptly, "Maura, what did you do?"

"Can we just go?"

"Can we just go to a crime scene where Kent will be? Maura what did you do? Did you…"

Maura cuts her off, "Yes, I did."


	2. Chapter 2

The next days, and weeks are incredibly awkward, as Maura refuses to discuss the matter any further with anyone else, including Jane. She continues with daily business as nothing has happened. Kent never mentions their indiscretion, either. She is sitting at her desk, when Jane appears in the doorway.

"Maura do you want to go grab lunch?"

"No," she shakes her head as she grimaces, "I've got a lot of work to do."

Jane takes a step inside the office, and pulls the door closed. She approaches Maura's desk, and proceeds to close the door next to her desk area. She sinks into the seat in front of Maura's desk.

"I just said that I have a lot of work to do."

"I know."

"I don't have time to eat."

"You didn't eat breakfast," Jane reminds her.

"Who told you that?"

"My mother."

"I am fine. I will eat later."

"Really?"

"I promise."

"I brought tuna," Jane fibs.

Maura nearly gags, "That doesn't sound appetizing."

"Really?"

Maura exhales, and presses the back of her hand to her mouth. She swallows hard, "What perfume are you wearing?"

"None. I had to dig through a dumpster earlier, so I just got out of the shower. You may be smelling soap, or possibly shampoo."

"Jane I don't have time to discuss this right now."

Jane nods, and holds up a brown paper bag. She places the bag on the desk, and slides it over to Maura. "I brought you something."

"I told you I'm not hungry," she argues.

"It isn't food."

Maura glances at the bag, and then turns her attention to Jane, "Then what is it?"

"You nearly vomited at my crime scene this morning."

"I did not."

"I saw you go into the crime scene van, remove a biohazard bag, and vomit into it."

"Jane, I'm fine," she insists.

"No, you're not."

"I don't think my dinner set very well with me."

"Maura, come on. It is me that you're talking to, here. You started sweating in autopsy."

"What point are you trying to make?"

"When you were at the crime scene and you got up from a squatting position you looked as if you were dizzy."

"Jane, what is your point?" She growls.

"My point is that you haven't been yourself lately."

"Jane, if you think that this is related to the…"

Jane cuts her off, "I think that this is related to the activities that you decided to partake in with a certain co-worker of yours."

"Don't be ridiculous," she insists.

"How long ago was that?"

Maura pauses, "Five weeks."

"Exactly," Jane shoots her a look, and pushes the bag closer to Maura.

Maura exhales, and opens the bag. She reaches inside, and pulls out a box. She pushes away from the desk, and places the box in her lap. She shakes her head.

"Have you considered the possibility," Jane begins, but Maura cuts her off.

"No."

"Maura…" Jane begins.

"Jane I'm not…" she trails off.

"When was the last time that you had a period?" Jane gets down to brass tacks.

She shakes her head, and shrugs, suddenly becoming very quiet.

"Jane," she says quietly, "It's not possible."

"How do you know that?"

"I am a responsible adult."

"Did you use protection?" Jane arches an eyebrow.

"Of course," she nods.

"Are you certain?"

"I was there, I am certain that we did. I found the wrapper under my clothes."

"Are you on the pill? I mean condoms are not one hundred percent effective. Not to mention they can be damaged."

Maura shakes her head, and furrows her brow, "What are you trying to insinuate here?"

"I won't insinuate. I think that he is devious, and I wouldn't put it past him to poke holes into them."

"You are being completely ridiculous."

"Are you on birth control?"

"I didn't feel that I had any reason to be. We have been so busy at work that I haven't had time. To be quite honest I didn't feel safe to date anyone after everything that has happened. It was a momentary lapse in judgement," she admits.

Maura refuses to take the test while she is at work. Jane follows her home, and insists that she takes it. Jane waits outside the bathroom with her arms folded across her chest, pacing back, and forth, waiting from Maura to come out. She glances at her watch, and realizes that it has been over ten minutes. She knocks on the door.

"Maura?"

Maura doesn't answer her. She twists the doorknob, and pushes the door open. She finds Maura sitting on the edge of the bathtub in the guest bathroom. Jane takes a seat next to her.

"Maura?"

She doesn't say a word, she just points to the counter. Maura wipes a tear on the back of her long sleeved t-shirt.

"I couldn't bring myself to look," she admits.

Jane vacates her seat, and approaches the counter. She dumps the contents out of the box. A plastic stick hits the surface of the counter. She grabs a tissue out of the tissue box on the counter, and lifts the plastic stick off the counter. She studies the digital read out, and then turns around. She hands it to Maura. Maura reluctantly takes it from her hands. She stares at the glaring confirmation, and feels herself go numb.

"Now what am I supposed to do?"


	3. Chapter 3

She is sitting in her car, outside the doctor's office after her appointment. She stares a set of images, and can't seem to bring herself to turn the engine on. She sits in the locked car alone, with a tempest of emotions, and a maelstrom of thoughts swirling around her. She nearly jumps out of her seat when she hears knuckles rapping on her window. She looks over, and finds Jane standing next to her car. She unlocks the door, and Jane climbs into the passenger's seat. She looks over at her friend.

"Kent said that you were having a dental procedure, and that you would be out for the rest of the afternoon."

"Why are you here?"

"Because you have perfect teeth," Jane answers.

"You shouldn't have come."

"Why did you come alone? I would have come with you," Jane tells her.

"I needed to do this by myself."

"You're still sitting in your car," Jane points out.

Maura shoves a series of black, and white images into her hands.

"Maura I know that you are in disbelief. You have rescheduled this appointment four weeks in a row. I know this is happening, whether you're ready to admit it, or not."

"As so as he confirmed he started droning on about reasons I was high risk, and the possible complications that can arise because I only have one kidney."

"It's going to be okay."

"You don't know that. I am high risk because of my age. The fact that I only have one kidney puts me at higher risk for pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor, and gestational diabetes just to name a few."

"So what are you going to do?"

Maura turns towards her, and makes eye contact for the first time, "It's not as if I can keep this a secret forever. What am I supposed to do? How do I approach my colleague, and say, 'Hey, I know that we had an alcohol fueled one night stand, and I don't have any desire to pursue a relationship, but now I'm pregnant,'?"

"You don't have to tell him anything, if you don't want to."

"I think that he will eventually catch on."

"So are you telling me that you have made a decision?"

She looks at Jane, and ponders this question for some time. Jane picks up on the look of fear in Maura's eyes.

"I had put this possibility out of my mind. I told myself that it just wasn't going to happen for me."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"You know that I don't put much credence into gut feelings," Maura begins.

"Then why are you mentioning them?"

"I just have this sinking feeling that something is wrong."

"With the baby?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Jane is lying in bed later that night, thinking about Maura's situation. She empathizes with her, and knows that it is a decision that she has to reach on her own. It is nearly three A.M., and Jane has just started to doze off when her phone begins vibrating. She glances at the caller ID, as she pulls the phone to her ear.

"Rizzoli," she answers.

"Jane, it's Nina."

"Nina? Why are you calling so late?"

"I need you to meet me."

"Meet you where?"

"I am leaving the precinct now, can you meet me?"

"Okay."

"I'll text you the address."

Jane quickly throws on the first clean clothing that she can find, and haphazardly pulls on socks, and running shoes. She pulls her hair into a ponytail, and grabs her keys. She tiptoes out of the apartment, and then hops in her car. Fifteen minutes later she has made it to her destination. She evacuates the vehicle, and crosses the street to the apartment building. She climbs four flights of stairs, and knocks on the door labeled 4C. Nina pulls the door open, and ushers her in. She immediately has Jane turn off her cellphone.

"Nina, what the hell is going on?"

Nina points to her kitchen table, where she has her laptop, "Have a seat."

Jane complies. "Can I offer you a drink?"

"An explanation would be fine," Jane responds.

Nina takes a seat next to Jane. "I have been spending my free time trying to figure out who was responsible for kidnapping Maura."

"Nina, that was months ago."

"The progress has been incredibly slow. I realized that the person behind all of this would have to have a relatively high IQ to pull all of this off."

"You came up with a profile?" Jane assumes.

"I would get one thread at a time, and progress was slow."

"You have something?" Jane assumes.

"The only way that someone would have access to the information that they did would be if they were in the department."

"Yes," Jane agrees.

"I have done background on everyone. I dug into financials, and work schedules."

"And what did you come up with?"

"A very short list of suspects."

"How long have you had a very short list of suspects?"

"For some time, but I didn't want to tell you until I was sure."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to be certain that you didn't have any involvement. You know that I trust you implicitly, but I wanted to explore all possibilities."

"That is good detective work," Jane voices.

"We also have to work under the assumption that I am not responsible, as well."

"No one believes that you are responsible."

"No one is going to believe who is responsible," Nina insists.

"I will."

"Jane I have put all of the pieces together. I checked, and rechecked my work."

"Nina, just tell me who it is."

Nina pulls out a manila folder, and hands it to Jane, "I tracked the IP address. I consulted an expert who found the signature. I dug through thousands of pages of personnel files, and phone records."

Jane opens the manila folder. She studies the name on top of a phone bill.

"Who is Andre K. Tek?"

"He is no one. Andre K Tek is an alias."

"For whom?"

"Jane, it's an anagram. That smug bastard thought that he could have his name right under our noses, and not even get caught."


	4. Chapter 4

Jane stares at the name in silence, as Nina waits for her to see it. Jane blinks, and her sub-conscious begins chiming in. An unsettled feeling, and a look of deceit. A sense of evasiveness. Offering his help, as a trusted member of the team, and trying to throw them off his scent.

"Shit! Nina, you have got to be kidding me! It has been that bastard, all along? Kent Drake."

"That isn't even his real name."

"I knew he was too good to be true. I knew there was something off with him, and I completely ignored that feeling, because Maura vouched for him."

"How did he pass a background check?"

"He used to work in the Marine Corp, and then he was in the CIA."

"Was he ever a medical doctor?"

"He lost his license after a peer reviewer for a study he conducted questioned the validity of his results."

"Maura was the peer reviewer?" She guesses.

"He wasn't just after you."

"How do I figure in?"

"You sent his wife to prison while he was overseas. She died before he came back."

"What did I send her to prison for?"

"She murdered their two year old son. She poisoned him. You questioned her in regards to the death of a nine year old in her neighborhood in a hit and run. She did commit the crime, but you initially didn't have enough evidence, so you had to let her go. She felt so guilty that she tried to kill herself, and her son."

"What about his fingerprints?"

"I think that he used a 3-d printer to make himself new fingerprints."

Jane scrutinizes all of Nina's evidence. She finds a picture of him in his uniform with no facial hair, and jet black hair, and bright blue eyes.

"I am going to call Cavanaugh, and present this to him. We are going to have to wake a judge up, and issue a warrant."

"Jane you are going to have to discuss it with him in person," she pulls out an evidence bag, "I found this in the phone at my desk."

"A bug? That son of a bitch. Do you have another copy of this file?"

"I have a flash drive with the info on it. I placed a copy under Cavanaugh's door before I left, and I have placed various other copies in other locations."

"Can I take this one?"

"Yes," Nina nods in confirmation, "Jane did you use GPS to get here?"

"Why?"

"He may have spyware on our phones."

"I'll be okay."

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to go wake Cavanaugh up. I'll text you when I get there. If I don't text you within the hour…"

Nina cuts her off, "I'll send out a search party."

* * *

Jane grabs the file, and heads to her car. She quickly jumps in, and locks the doors. She turns the key in the ignition, and the car starts. She pulls away from the curb, and heads towards Cavanaugh's. She makes two blocks from Nina's apartment when she reaches a stop light. As she stops she sees a car moving towards the intersection. As her light turns green it doesn't slow down. She doesn't move, waiting for it to stop. It doesn't stop. The car abruptly veers left of center, and slams into her. The airbags deploy, and she is thrown against the back of her seat. Tired, and disoriented, she reaches for her phone. Before she can reach her phone she feels her door being pulled open. She struggles with her seatbelt. She sees a shadowy figure standing at her door. Her heart races, and she heads into the backseat. A hand raps around her foot as she leaps into the backseat. He pulls her towards him. She struggles against him. She turns, and kicks him with her other foot connecting with his ribcage. She pushes the back door open, and races out of the car. She begins running down the street, despite her throbbing head. Before she can make it to the end of the block she can hear him closing in on her. She runs faster, but the footsteps continue to draw closer. His arms wrap around her, and she tries to wriggle free. She hits, and kicks, but he does not relent. She feels a sharp prick hit her neck. She turns to see him removing a syringe from her neck. She suddenly feels woozy, and her knees begin feeling weak. She exhales, and tries to keep moving, but she can't. Her world suddenly goes black.

When she comes to she is restrained. She is lying on a bed, in what appears to be a basement bedroom. She can smell the moist air. She opens her eyes, and begins to struggle against her restraints. She feels fingers wrap around her wrist. An angry voice echoes in the room.

"Jane," he warns, "Stop."

"Please don't do this. I know why you're doing this."

"It is too late, now, Jane. There is no more negotiating. It is time for you to get what you deserve."

"You're going to kill me?"

She stares into his cold, dark eyes as he shakes his head, "No I am just going to torture you." His lips curl into a devilish smile.

She flexes her hands, "It wouldn't be the first time."

"I am going to make Charles Hoyt look like a sissy," he reveals.

"What happened to you?"

His nostrils flare, "I lost everything! I lost everything because of you."

"This won't bring your son back."

"At least I will be able to rest in peace knowing that you will never forget the mistake that you made. You will never forget my face."

"This is not what Owen would have wanted."

"Don't try to empathize with me, detective. That isn't going to work. Owen is dead. He is dead, and it is your fault."

"They are going to find you, and they are going to put a bullet through your head," she tells him.

"They will never find me, hell they may never find you."

"I did not kill your son."

"You could have stopped her," he insists.

"I am going to stop you."

"You can't stop me. When I am done with you I will haunt you for the rest of your life," he promises, "I will haunt you in your dreams, and your nightmares. I will haunt you every second that you are awake. I will walk away, and you will never get to. I'll be gone before sunrise, and you will be irreparably damaged. The best part is, that I'll be watching you, and you'll never be able to catch me."

"You're wrong."

"I know that you think that, because it is nearly sunrise. I am sure you think that Nina is going to find you, but she won't, not before I'm gone."


	5. Chapter 5

"You can scream, but no one is going to hear you," he tells her, as he unbuckles her belt.

She frantically pulls against the locked leather restraints attached to her wrists, and ankles. The wooden posts of the bed move, but they show no signs of faltering. She thrashes against the bed as he draws closer. He climbs on the bed, straddling her. He leans forward, and she can feel his breath on her ear. He whispers.

"You'll never be able to forget me."

"Get off me!" She screams.

Her voice doesn't deter him. Her efforts to break free are futile. He presses his lips to her forehead, kissing her as if he is kissing an innocent lamb who is about to be lead to slaughter. She feels his hand against the band of her sweat pants. She tugs at her ankle restraint hoping to get enough slack to knee him.

* * *

Hours later she comes to after another round of drug induced unconsciousness. She is bruised, and bloody. She finds that her left hand restraint has been removed, and that Kent is nowhere in sight. She hears a fan humming overhead. Her lip is busted, and she can feel dried blood around her nose, from his retaliation of her head butting him. She lies under a sheet, and her clothes lay in a neat pile on the bedside stand. The room is stark. The cinderblock walls are painted white. The room contains a ceiling fan, and a bed. The bedside stand has a lamp that poorly illuminates the room. Jane struggles to get into a sitting position. She reaches over to her right side, trying to free her hand. She hears sirens outside. She looks around the room once again. She finds her phone lying on the bedside stand. The bedside stand is on her right side. She tries to reach for it, and she nearly does. She accidentally knocks the phone off onto the floor. She hears footsteps overhead, and muffled voices. Her own throat feels raw as if she has swallowed gravel.

She calls out, "Down here!"

Korsak moves down the stairs quickly. Halfway down the hall he finds a closed door. He turns to Frankie, who is behind him. His stomach twists into knots.

"Frankie go back upstairs," he tells the young detective.

Frankie furrows his brows, "That's not necessary," he argues.

"Please," Korsak says in a soft tone.

There is a sea of other officers behind him. Frankie pushes through them as he heads back up the stairs. Korsak points to the two EMT's.

"You two come with me. Everyone else stay out here."

No one argues with him. Korsak draws his weapon, and reaches for the door. He finds the door unlocked. He pushes the door open, and the two EMT's follow him into the room. He has them close the door behind them.

"Korsak."

"Jane we're going to get you out of here," he assures her as he reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a set of keys. He thumbs through them until he finds the one he is looking for. He carefully releases the restraints one at a time. One of the EMT's reaches into their bag.

"Dr. Isles sent these," he announces as he hands her a pair of surgical green scrubs.

The two men, and one female turn around, as Jane quickly pulls on the scrubs. Kosak offers her hand. She shakes her head.

"I don't want to compromise any evidence."

He looks down at her bare feet. He says nothing as she pulls the door open. He follows behind her as she slowly walks past a sea of other detectives, and officers. She willingly climbs into the back of the ambulance. Maura is notably absent, but Korsak climbs into the back of the ambulance with Jane.

At the hospital he waits outside the room as they conduct an exam. It seems to take an eternity. Eventually the personnel leaves the room, and a nurse announces that he can enter. He enters the room, and finds Jane sitting on the edge of the bed wearing a hospital gown. He holds out a bag.

"Your brother went home, and grabbed you some clothing."

"Probably a Celtics jersey, and a pair of shorts," she guesses.

He hands her the bag. She pulls out a t-shirt, undergarments, and a pair of sweatpants. She vacates her seat on the bed, and goes into the adjoining bathroom. She ditches the hospital garb, and pulls on some of her own clothing. She exits the bathroom, and finds Vince waiting on her.

"I am going to take you home," he tells her.

"Korsak," she begins. He expects her to argue, "How did you know where to find me?"

"Nina found you. Your phone was turned off for a while. It turned back on at eight o'clock."

"Three and a half hours after I left Nina's."

"We are actively pursuing him."

"It is a waste of time. He has disappeared."

"We are going to find him," he argues.

"Only if he wants to be found."

"You don't know that."

"Where is Maura?"

"Maura is doing an autopsy. He shot a police officer who stopped him for driving with a broken headlight."

"Did you tell her?"

"I haven't had the chance. She was in the middle of the autopsy when Nina found you. I didn't tell her that you were missing."

"You can't tell her it was him."

He furrows his brow, "She is going to find out."

"Let me tell her."

"Later," he insists, "Right now I am taking you home."

She falls silent, and swallows hard. "Vince," she says softly.

"Huh?"

"Are you going to go back to the precinct after you drop me off?"

"I'm not going to leave you," he tells her.


	6. Chapter 6

She gets out of the shower, dries her hair, and brushes her teeth half a dozen times. She dries off, and pulls on clothes. She doesn't linger in the mirror, not wanting to remember the way her face looks right now. She hangs her towel on the towel bar, and grips the door knob. She twists, and pulls the door open. She exits the room, and makes a beeline for the kitchen. She finds Korsak sitting at the kitchen counter reading a magazine. She walks past him in silence as she goes to the fridge for a bottle of water. She turns around, and looks at him, but she refuses to break the silence.

"Jane," he begins.

She makes eye contact with him, "Yes?" She responds in a soft tone.

"Maura called while you were in the shower. She said that she is on the way over."

"Okay."

"When she leaves I am going to go pick up something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat," he tells her.

"How long before she'll be here?"

"Any minute," he tells her.

She nods, and leaves the kitchen, heading to the living room. She plants herself on the couch, and waits for the inevitable. A few moments later someone is knocking on the door. Korsak lets Maura in, and exits the apartment. Maura enters the living room, and finds her best friend sitting on the couch. She studies her face, in silence. Jane has a busted lip, and bruised cheekbone. She wears a t-shirt, and a pair of yoga pants. Her wrists are bruised, as if she has been restrained. Maura takes a seat on the coffee table, and waits for an explanation.

"I'm fine," Jane insists.

"What happened?"

Jane furrows her brow, "What do you mean?"

"No one will tell me anything. Your brother kept telling me that you were fine, but I would have to talk to you about it."

Jane struggles to come up with an answer.

"Jane, just tell me," she implores her.

"Last night Nina called me, and I went over to her apartment. She finally figured out who is behind all of this," Jane reveals.

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter," Jane insists.

"Who did this to you?" Maura queries.

"Maura, I'm fine," she lies, knowing that the worst wounds are the ones that Maura can't see.

"Don't lie to me! They don't have this bastard in custody. What is going on?"

"It was worse than we had originally anticipated."

"What did he do to you?"

"Maura I will be fine."

"Who did this to you?"

"Maura, it's over."

"Is it?" Maura calls her out.

"He is never going to let us catch him," Jane responds.

"How do you know that?"

"He has been one step ahead of us the entire time."

"It is time to end this. I am so tired of wondering if I am going to go home, and find the son of a bitch hiding in a closet, or knocking on my door. Tell me who it is."

Jane swallows hard, "Maura I don't know how to tell you."

"Just tell me the truth!" She demands.

"Who do you think it is?"

She pauses, and recalls the events of the day.

Jane prompts her, "What was different about today?"

"You weren't there," she answers.

"What else?"

Maura exhales, "I found Kent's letter of resignation on my desk this morning."

"Maura, I'm sorry."

She shakes her head in disbelief, "You're telling me that it has been Kent all along?"

"Yes," Jane nods in confirmation.

"And he is still out there?"

"Yes."

"Why haven't they caught him?"

"Because he is gone without a trace. He is not who he says he is. By now he has a different identity, a different look, and he is probably in a different state, or even another country."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It is a long story, but I am certain."

"He is who did this to you?"

"Yes," Jane nods in confirmation.

"What did he do to you?"

"Maura it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"Maura I will be okay," she insists.

"You're telling me that…" she trails off, "I…"

Jane cuts her off, "Did Nina get you a new phone?"

"Yes," Maura nods in confirmation, "She said that mine had been compromised."

"There was spyware on our phones. Nina had all of the department issued phones replaced. Our apartments were swept for bugs."

"Are you kidding me?" She answers with a look of outrage on her face.

"No. All they found was the spyware."

"Was he listening to all of our phone conversations?"

"I don't think that he would have had time to listen to all of them," she points out.

"Jane," she begins.

"Maura, I know."

"What am I supposed to do? I…" she begins to catastrophize.

"Do whatever you have to," Jane replies, "Do whatever you feel you need to do."

"Do you think that was his intention all along?" Maura queries.

Jane lies, "No."

"What do you think?"

"I think his intention was to inflict pain upon the two people he feels responsible for the way that his life has turned out."

"What do you mean?"

"You for ending his medical career, and me for the death of his son."

"I didn't end his career."

"Maura his real name is not Kent Drake. That is an identity that he created."

"How did he pass a background check?"

"He has knowledge, and skills."

"What about fingerprints?"

"Nina believes that he used a 3-D printer to create new ones."

"You're saying that he could be anyone, anywhere?"

"Unfortunately," she confirms.

"What are we going to do?"

"We can't let this dictate the rest of our lives. He wins if we do. We just have to move forward."

"How are we supposed to do that?"

Jane shrugs, "One step at a time, I guess."

"What would I say?"

Jane furrows her brow as Maura breaks eye contact. Maura shifts her glance to the floor.

"To who?" Jane wonders.

"What would I say to my child?"


	7. Chapter 7

Jane answers steadfastly, "The truth."

"Which is what? I mated with a monster to produce…" she is unable to finish the thought.

"Just say he was a sperm donor. He doesn't have much more significance than that."

"I don't think that I can do this," she admits.

"It is okay if you can't. No one is asking you to. I would certainly understand if you didn't."

"What kind of a person would I be to base that decision on who he is? Is that fair?"

"Maura, I can't answer that. You are the only one who has to make that decision. You are the one who has to live with whatever choice that you make. I can't decide for you."

Later that evening Frankie relieves Korsak. He checks on his sister, and heads off to bed. Once she is certain that he has gone to his room she climbs out of bed, and exits her room. She heads to the kitchen in silence. She opens the refrigerator, and stares at the shelves of alcohol. In that moment she doesn't want to apply her coping skills. She just wants to remove the alcohol from the fridge, and drink until she doesn't feel anything anymore. She reaches for a bottle, but closes the door instead. She reaches for her phone, and texts someone who can help.

* * *

In the morning she shirks her security detail, and heads to a clandestine meeting. As she sits in the waiting room staring at a pile of year old magazines she wrings her hands. Eventually her name is called, and she is ushered into an office with a leather couch. She avoids the couch, and takes a seat in a chair, instead. Dr. Kaplan enters the room, and takes a seat on the couch, without a word.

"There are other chairs," Jane points out.

"I am not afraid to sit here," he tells her.

"I am not comfortable here," she answers.

"I am surprised to see you here."

"I found out who is responsible for everything that has happened."

"You caught him?"

"No, that's why I'm here."

"You're afraid that you'll never catch him?"

"What if I don't?"

"Can you live with that?"

She shrugs, "I don't know."

He notices her face, and her wrists, "What happened?"

"He hit me head on in the car."

"Those are from restraints," he points out.

"He injected me with what I now know is a powerful sedative."

"Then what?"

"He took me to a basement in an abandoned building. He had me in leather restraints when I woke up."

"Then what happened?"

She blinks, and a tear trickles down her cheek, "What do you think happened?"

"Jane, it isn't going to go away if you don't talk about it."

"I couldn't get away. I tried to get away."

"Are you here to complete a mandatory psych exam?"

"No," she shakes her head, "Sometimes I feel like it doesn't matter."

"What doesn't matter?"

"What I do. It isn't enough. I couldn't stop him. I couldn't get him off the street. He has hurt my friends, and tortured my family," tears stream down her face.

"What about you?"

"I just don't want to face this. I don't want to deal with this. I just want to give up. What is the point?"

"You are the point."

"I'm not helping anyone."

"Jane, it isn't always about helping others. Sometimes all you can do is help yourself."

"I just want all of this to go away."

"It isn't going to go away. You have to face it."

"How? How am I supposed to face this? How am I supposed to face my co-workers? How are any of them supposed to trust me to protect their lives when I can't even protect myself? He got in my head, and I couldn't stop him. He did things…" she trails off, "I couldn't stop him."

"You feel powerless?" He questions.

"Yes."

"You were restrained," he reminds her.

"It doesn't matter," she argues.

"Jane, did you even consider that everything that has happened was with the intent to make you feel powerless? Maybe he wanted you to give up, and walk away."

"I can't take much more," she admits.

"That's why you're here," he reminds her.

"Last night I just wanted to drink until I didn't feel anything. I just want to be numb."

"It will get better," he insists.

"That is easy to say."

He nods, "And hard to do. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of work. I have never seen someone as hard-working as you are. This time you have to work on you, instead of chasing bad guys."

"He said that he would be watching. How can I know that he's not? What if he is?"

"Don't give power over you."

"He had my best friend kidnapped, and tortured. He burnt down where I lived. He has used people to do his dirty work. He is smart, and maniacal, and relentless."

"You are smarter. You never give up."

"I'm tired."

"Then be tired. Take some time, and start over."

"How many times do I have to start over before it is enough?"

He shrugs, "Jane I can't answer that."

"I know."

She dials Maura's number as she boards the elevator. Maura meets her in the parking lot. Jane climbs into the car, and turns towards Maura.

"How did you get here so quickly?"

"Nina installed GPS on your phone, and I had her track you here. I was worried."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?"

"No," she shakes her head, being honest with her best friend for the first time.

"What happened?"

"Maura, I don't want to talk about it," she admits.

"How can I help?"

"Call off my security detail."

"Jane, they are just worried about you."


	8. Chapter 8

Eventually Jane returns to work, but she and Maura both quickly become hypervigilant to their environments. Weeks pass, but things do not go back to normal. Maura finds herself working more than ever, and avoiding reality whenever possible. Jane heads to the morgue one night after she has finished up with her paperwork. She finds Maura sitting in her office, behind a stack of paperwork. Jane enters the room, and takes a seat in front of her.

"What are you still doing here?"

"I need to finish signing off these reports."

"Maura it is time that you hire someone to help you."

She shakes her head, "I can't trust anyone to help me."

"You have to trust someone at some point."

"Not now," she argues.

"Soon," Jane tells her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought that you might be hungry," Jane points to the clock.

"I'm fine. I am just going to finish my work, and go home."

"Maura, you have to eat," Jane insists.

Maura rolls her eyes.

* * *

Maura enters her house alone, and finds Angela standing in her kitchen cooking. Maura kicks out of her heels, and heads into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

"Making some dinner," Angela answers.

"Did Jane put you up to this?" Maura queries.

Angela furrows her brow, "No, I got hungry."

"Oh."

"Are you hungry?" Angela questions.

She shakes her head, "Not really."

"It's spaghetti. There is enough here for you, too," Angela reveals.

"I think I am just going to head to the shower."

"I made garlic bread, too," Angela adds.

"I'm fine," Maura insists.

Angela shakes her head, "Sit down"

Maura sighs in defeat as she takes a seat on a barstool. Angela sits out plates, and puts food onto both of them. She turns towards Maura.

"White, or red?" Angela quizzes.

"Water is fine," Maura tells her.

She pours a couple of glasses of water, and takes a seat next to Maura. Maura is five bites in when she realizes that Angela is watching her eat. She turns towards Angela, and shoots her a questioning look. Angela scoops a bite into her mouth.

"Angela is there something on your mind?"

"There is always something on my mind," she answers, quickly.

"Is there something specific on your mind?"

"There typically is," she nods in confirmation.

"Is there something you want to say?"

Angela nods once again, "There is."

"Okay," Maura removes the cloth napkin from her lap, and turns towards Angela.

"You need to eat more."

"Thank you for you input," Maura responds, hoping that is the end of the conversation.

"Maura, I'm not done," Angela admits

"Okay. Go ahead."

"Maura do you think that I am stupid?"

"No, why would you think that?"

"Do you feel that I am unobservant?"

"I have never said that."

"Do you think that I am naïve?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You stopped drinking wine," Angela calls her out.

"Water is better for…"

Angela cuts her off, "For who, Maura?"

Maura falls silent, and tries to avoid eye contact.

"Maura I have three children," Angela reminds her.

"I know."

"How long do you plan on keeping the truth from me, Maura? Did you honestly think that you could go any amount of time without me finding out? The rest of the world may not know, but I do. I have known for a while, and the fact that you feel the need to keep me in the dark about it is kind of insulting."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Maura answers, trying not to form hives.

"By my estimation you have to be into your second trimester by now," Angela calls her out.

Maura swallows hard. Angela continues, "I am used to my daughter shutting me out. Jane has always kept me at arms-length. She thinks that she is protecting me, I suppose. I expect that from her, not from you. Maura, I am right here with you every single day. I suspect that I am not the only one you are shutting out, am I? Maura talk to me."

"Did Jane put you up to this?"

"No. This is coming from me."

Maura nods, and stares back at Angela with a somber look on her face, "Jane has her own things to deal with. I don't talk to her about this. I wouldn't know what to say."

"You're not talking to her, you're talking to me," she replies.

"All of this is scary. I don't know how to navigate something of this magnitude. I never considered becoming a single parent, especially under these circumstances. I don't think that it is something anyone ever sits down, and thinks about, but I don't have a choice. I have to think about it. It is all that I think about. It has been all that I think about for weeks, months really. We found out that Kent was behind all of this nearly two months ago, and to be perfectly honest since then I have felt mostly numb. I don't know how I am supposed to feel. I know that every single day I get closer and closer to the reality of this situation, but I'm not ready to face it yet."

"Maura, you're not alone."

"This is not your responsibility. I put myself in this situation by employing poor judgment on my part."

"You know this isn't going to go away."

"I could have made it go away, but I decided that it wasn't what I wanted. I just never imagined that it would be this hard. I have nightmares that he comes back. We are no closer to finding him now than we were seven weeks ago. I dream that he shows up, and takes the baby out of its crib in the middle of the night. I keep telling myself that it is irrational, but I am not entirely sure that it is. I want to chalk it up to mere anxiety, but it has an air of possibility to it."

"Did he even know?"

She shakes her head, "I don't think so. I certainly never told him. I haven't told anyone. Jane is the only other person who knows."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Just be here," she admits.


	9. Chapter 9

She hears her voice being called, as she sits on the floor of her closed in her pajamas. She responds by calling out, "I'm in here." Her best friend climbs the stairs, and follows the sound of her voice. Jane enters the bedroom, and notices the closet light on. She heads over to the closet, and finds Maura sitting on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"I have nothing to wear," she answers.

Jane surveys the walk-in closet. Everywhere she looks there are clothes hanging up. She looks down at her friend, and decides to join her. She takes a seat on the carpet, across from Maura.

"What is really going on?" She asks, looking past Maura, noting the pile of clothes lying on the end of her bed.

"Nothing fits appropriately."

"Maura what did you expect? You are five months pregnant. Did you expect that you could go the entire pregnancy without gaining any weight?"

"No."

"We have a crime scene to get to just put on your scrubs, they will be fine."

"Jane," a lump forms in her throat, and prevents her from finishing her thought.

"Maura, what's wrong?"

"What if I can't do this? What if I have absolutely no maternal instinct at all?"

"My mother lives here, I think you will be okay."

"I am being serious."

"You will be fine. Why are you stressing about all of that right now?"

"It is a slippery slope from clothes that won't fit."

"Maura, I know that this is hard for you. I can imagine how overwhelmed you feel right now, but you are not alone. You have a lot of support. You aren't going to have the support of an income, if you don't get dressed, though."

They stand in autopsy, assuming their usual roles. Maura stands before Jane in a pair of black scrubs, and Jane looks at her blankly. Jane has been cold, and distant lately. Maura tries not to pry, but she can't help but wonder if she is okay. Sometimes she wonders where her mind is. She hasn't been permitted to see the crime scene photos, but she can imagine what it must have been like. She can tell that Jane is wrapped up in her own thoughts. She wonders if she is even listening.

"I am hoping to eat a hippo for lunch," Maura casually adds this to the end of her statement.

"Will you send me the report once it's done?"

Maura takes a step forward, and touches Jane's arm, "Are you okay?"

"Fine, why?"

"Did you hear anything that I just said?"

"You lost me somewhere around kale chips."

"I was talking about stomach contents ten minutes ago," Maura informs her.

"Sorry," Jane apologizes.

"And I told you I wanted hippo for lunch. Sometimes I have to wonder what you're thinking."

"You don't want to know," she responds, honestly.

"Jane, are you okay?"

Jane locks eyes with her, "I'm fine," she lies, as she turns to walk away. Maura watches as her best friend disappears through the double doors.

* * *

She tosses, and turns that night. She hasn't been getting much sleep, and when she does it is fitful, and filled with nightmares. She wakes up drenched in sweat, and tangled in covers. She glances at her alarm clock. It tells her that she should go back to sleep, but she knows her efforts are futile. She climbs out of bed, and puts on some clean clothes. She laces up her sneaker, and heads for the door. She doesn't even attempt to conceal her gun in her waistband. She leaves it on the counter, and exits the apartment. As she makes her way down the stairs her thoughts swirl. She realizes that she hides behind a gun, and shield, but in reality she is just as vulnerable as anyone.

She makes it to the street, and survey's the environment around her. The street is empty, as it is not even five o'clock yet. She knows that predators lurk in the dark. She applies little importance to her personal safety. She exhales, and then begins jogging. After over an hour she makes it to a park bench. The park is dark, and the only occupants are a couple of owls in a nearby tree. She has been running like this every morning for quite some time.

She has done everything in her power to move forward, but she feels trapped. She has regularly been attending therapy, with no improvement. She keeps going through the motions, but nothing helps. She wonders what the point of it all is. Sometimes she wishes she could disappear into the night, and never return. She pushes the thought from her mind, and rises from her seat.

When she arrives home she climbs into the shower. She wishes that she felt re-invigorated, or even alive, when she crawls out. She only knows that she is alive because she can feel her heart beating. She taps her phone, and the screen reminds her of the time, and date. It is Saturday, and she isn't working. She reminds herself that she has dozens of tasks on her to do list. She doesn't have the drive to do any of them. Against her better judgment she lays back down. This time she curls up on the couch with a pillow, and a blanket.

The feeling of something vibrating against her leg brings her out of her slumber. She sticks her hand under her leg, and digs out her phone. She puts the phone to her ear.

"Rizzoli," she yawns.

"Did you forget about me?" Maura asks her.

"Forget about you? What are you talking about?"

"You were going to meet me for lunch," Maura reminds her.

"What do you mean, going to? What time is it?"

"Jane it's nearly one o'clock."

"Maura, I am so sorry. I laid down on the couch, and I must have fallen asleep."

She shifts into a sitting position. Maura abruptly disconnects. Jane looks at her phone in confusion. Before she has a chance to redial knuckles wrap against her door. She crosses the room, and checks the peephole. She opens the door, and lets Maura in.

"Maura, I am so sorry."

Maura enters the apartment, "You left the door unlocked?"

She shrugs, "I guess that I must have."

"Jane I am worried about you. What is going on with you? It isn't like you not to show up for food."

Jane smirks, "I know."

"How have you been sleeping?"

"Terribly," she admits.

Maura leads her to the couch. Jane takes a seat on one end, and Maura on the other.

"Talk to me."

"I haven't been sleeping well. To be honest I just feel completely exhausted all the time. I keep hearing the suggestion that I am depressed, because I am so tired all of the time."

"Any time you are exposed to trauma your body tries to compensate."

"I'm not depressed," Jane insists.

"It is okay if you are. There are all kinds of different things that you can do."

"Maura! I am doing all of them. I have done every single thing that my therapist has suggested, and none of them help."

"You could try medication," she adds.

"I am not there yet."

"When was the last time you saw your primary care physician?"

She shrugs, "I don't remember."

"You should go check in with him. You could have something physically wrong with you. Maybe your vitamin d level is low, that could make you tired. You may lack iron, or folic acid, which would make you tired as well."

"If it will make you feel better I will go see him."


	10. Chapter 10

Maura exhales as she exits her vehicle. She briefly straightens her jacket as she moves towards the crime scene tape. She has opted not to wear scrubs, despite their level of comfort. She has finally given up, and bought more clothes. Despite her usual excitement over buying new clothes this shopping trip was not as enjoyable. She realizes that she has been surrounded by an overwhelming sense of denial. She feels nervous as the uniformed officers lift the crime scene tape for her. She wears a jacket that has a belt at the waist. As she approaches the body that lies on the ground she realizes that this is a poor choice. She un-cinches the belt before squatting down to get a better look at the body, realizing that she will not be able to breathe adequately otherwise. Korsak turns towards her with his notepad. She squats next to the victim. He instantly notices that she is wearing flats instead of heels. Her hair is neatly secured in a ballerina bun.

"The victim is Tom Wheatley, age forty two. He is an investment banker. The neighbor called after he heard shots fired early this morning," he explains.

She glances at her wristwatch, "It is nearly nine o'clock," he points out.

"The call came in at fifteen after six. Patrol came by, but they saw nothing. There was not a body lying in the driveway when they drove by."  
She glances at the smeared blood trail. She quickly realizes that it is coming from the garage. The garage door is only slightly open.

"A second call came in, about an hour ago. Another neighbor was headed to work, and saw him lying on the pavement."  
She tilts her head, and looks at a smear mark behind the body. The body is in a prone position.

"Those look like palm prints," Maura points out.

"When officers first arrived on the scene they assumed that the body had been dragged out of the garage. They found a garage door opener lying just inside the bay, and his car door was open. There was blood on the door handle, and inside the car."

"It appears that he crawled out of the garage. There were no car keys in the car. He is single. The neighbors informed me that today is trash day, and that the garbage truck rolls by around a quarter til six."

"His bins aren't out," she points out.

"They are still inside the garage. I am thinking that someone ambushed him when he went to take his trash out."

"We need to find out what company does refuse service on this block. They may have seen something."

"My thoughts exactly. Meanwhile, do you need a hand?"

She looks up at him, and reaches for his hand. He helps her out of her squatting position. When she stands up she smooths her slacks, and tugs at the hem of her shirt. She waits for Korsak to say something, but he doesn't. She furrows her brow, and tilts her head as she looks at him.

"Am I supposed to notice this now, or continue to pretend that I don't? You tell me."

She grins, "The former."

"I assume that this is not a topic that you want to discuss at a crime scene."

"You assume correctly. Where is Jane?"

"You are stuck with me," he informs her, "Jane took the day off."

"She never takes time off."

"She said she had to attend some appointments, so she just took the day off, and scheduled them all for one day. She had to go to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned, and she was scheduled to see her therapist too. I think she also mentioned that she had to go for her annual physical with her regular doctor. I am really not envious of that kind of a day off. Oh, I almost forgot, she said that she had to take her car in for maintenance."

"Yuck," Maura grimaces.

* * *

Later on that afternoon Maura finds herself neatly tucked away in the morgue. She feels as if she can breathe in her black scrubs. The double doors open, and Korsak enters the autopsy room, as she is suturing.

"The refuse people came through. They saw a grey sports car parked in the driveway this morning."

"Do you have a make, and a model?" She questions.

He holds up a piece of paper, "I surely do. The garbage man is a nineteen year old, so he noticed the car. He even memorized the license plate, just because he thought it was odd. Nina is running the plates now."

"I found black fibers under his finger nails. I will have to analyze them further. I found abrasions on his right knuckle, which I swabbed for trace."

"On his knuckle? That wouldn't have been from crawling."

She shakes her head, "No."

"He could have gotten a swing in," he suggests.

"It is definitely a possibility."

"Maura?"

"Yes?"

"Can we talk about this now?"

She grins, "Would you like to discuss it now?"

He nods in confirmation, "I certainly would like to state for the record that I am deeply upset that you did not come forward with this information before. I feel as if you could have shared it with me sooner."

"I apologize."

"I will get over it. I am very happy for you. Of course you can name the tyke after its uncle Vince, and I would be even more excited."

"I haven't chosen a name," she admits.

"Do you know if it is a boy, or a girl?"

"Apparently my offspring may share some of my stubborn tendencies," she admits.

"It won't uncross it's legs?"

"Right," she nods, "I had an amniocentesis, but I feel like it is such an invasion of privacy. If he, or she wanted me to know they would uncross their legs."

"Everything appears okay?"

She nods, "Yes. No abnormalities were noted, and growth is right on target."

"Was this planned?" He probes.

"Are you asking me if I chose to be artificially inseminated?"

"I couldn't think of a politically correct way to ask you that," he admits.

"We can pretend that I was."

"Are you telling me that this happened naturally?"

She nods, "The events surrounding this conception were similar to that of many."

"One too many drinks?"

She nods, "It was definitely something like that."

"And the other party responsible for this?"

"It was a onetime thing, and there will be no involvement from that end. I have the financial means to care for the baby on my own, and I fully intend to."

"I'm here for you if you need me."

"I appreciate that," she smiles.


	11. Chapter 11

She is sitting at the kitchen counter contemplating whether to eat oatmeal, or a poptart when her phone rings. She expects it to be work, calling her to a crime scene. She grabs the phone, and glances at the number. It is her physician's office. She answers the phone, and is asked to stop in on her way to work. She agrees reluctantly. She settles for a bowl of oatmeal, sprinkling some mini chocolate chips on top. She leaves a few minutes early, and stops in her doctor's office. The receptionist greets her at the door. It is only seven thirty, and the office doesn't open until eight. The doctor enters the waiting area, and leads her back to his actual office. He asks her to have a seat. She takes a seat, and he flips open his manila folder.

"I was able to review your labs."

"I am assuming that something is abnormal, since you called me into your office."

"The good news is that your electrolytes came back within normal limits. Your vitamin D level was normal. I did note that your iron was a touch low, but not alarmingly so. I think it can be remedied with a supplement."

"So the only thing that is wrong with me is that my iron is a little bit low?"

"That isn't why I called you in here," he admits.

"If this is where you tell me that you are concerned I am depressed, I don't want to hear it."

He shakes his head, "I don't think that is why you're so tired. Obviously your sleep pattern has been poor, but that is not the only factor."

"So what is going on?"

He hands her a couple of pieces of paper. She furrows her brow in confusion.

When Maura gets off work she heads over to Jane's. She knocks on the door, but no one answers. She reaches for the door handle. She twists, and the door opens. She enters the apartment, and finds Jane sitting on the couch, blankly staring at the wall. She enters the apartment, closing the door behind her.

"I was worried about you, when you didn't show up for work today."

"I called off," Jane points out.

"You don't look sick."

"Can you ever really tell what is going on with someone? I mean sometimes we don't even know what is going on with ourselves."

Maura takes a seat on the coffee table. She touches Jane's leg.

"What is going on with you?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Can we talk about you, instead?"

"Sure," she nods in agreement, "I was looking online at different paint colors. I stopped, and got some samples, but I'm not sure how I am supposed to decide."

"Just go with something neutral," Jane suggests.

"There is a grey that I like, but I am worried it is too drab."

"I cannot give you my opinion until I actually see the color."

Maura reaches into her purse, and pulls out some paint samples. She hands a grey one to Jane. Jane furrows her brow.

"That is incredibly dull," Jane voices.

Maura searches through the stack, "What about this one?"

Jane stares at an eerily similar shade of grey, "Why can't you just leave it the color that it is?"

"Clay pebble is not an appropriate color for a nursery."

"You could just leave it, and add appropriate décor. If you paint it grey, or green, or some other ridiculous color you are just going to have to paint it again later. Why don't you just wait to paint until the kid is old enough to decide what it likes?"

"Thank you for your opinion Debbie Downer."

"Maura you have four hundred million other things that you need to do before the baby gets here. I hardly think that painting should be a priority. The baby isn't going to care."

"I can't pick out a crib until I choose a paint color."

"You are making this far too complicated," Jane argues.

"Would you like to be in charge of making these decisions?"

"I think it would be tasteful, and simple if I did. You certainly don't want to overstimulate your newborn, do you?"

"Fine."

"Fine?!"

"I'll give you the credit card number. Be reasonable, and I will trust your judgement."

"Since when?"

"Since I am going to have a baby, and I am starting to realize that I can't do it all on my own. I couldn't even go to yoga this morning."

Jane furrows her brow, "Why not?"

"Because I couldn't find my shoes," she answers.

She starts laughing.

"It's not funny! Your mother came in, and I was sitting at the island bawling, because I couldn't remember where I put my shoes."

"Why didn't you just ask her to help you find them?"

"Because it is the whole principle," she argues.

"Do you want to go to pre-natal, froo-froo yoga, or not?"

"I will just start doing it at home, where I don't have to wear shoes."

"And you wonder why your baby won't uncross its legs? It is tethered to you, and you are so stubborn you want to quit yoga because you can't find your shoes. You could just leave your shoes by the door."

"And my center of gravity has completely shifted, so I can't even comfortably wear heels. I have started wearing flats. I forgot that I was wearing them, so I didn't take them off until I went upstairs, which is why I couldn't find them in the first place."

Jane looks at Maura's feet. She then shifts her glance to her best friend's rounded abdomen. She leans forward.

"Hi baby, this is your aunt Jane. I wanted to let you know that your mother is completely ridiculous, but she is well meaning. You will have to keep that in mind, as you grow up. She is going to test your patience, a lot. Don't worry, if you just come hang out with me I will let you eat ice cream for breakfast, if that is what your heart desires."

"You are not feeding my child ice cream for breakfast."

Jane grins, "I won't have to. My mother lives thirty feet away from you. You know how she is with kids."

"Perfectly reasonable," Maura argues.


	12. Chapter 12

She sits on her counter, eating a popsicle, contemplating going for a jog. The phone vibrating at her side interrupts her train of thought. She places the phone to her ear, and answers accordingly.

"Yes, ma?"

"I am on my way to the hospital."

"Whoa! What's going on?"

"I am taking Maura to the hospital."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"She is having a lot of abdominal pain, and pressure."

"Are you telling me that she is in labor? Ma she isn't even six months along."

"I know."

"Okay, I'll meet you there," she agrees.

Thirty minutes later she arrives at the hospital. Angela paces the hallway in front of Maura's room. Jane approaches, wearing nothing more than a baggy t-shirt, and a pair of sweat pants.

"What's going on?"

Angela shrugs, "I don't know. She called her OB/GYN over her on the way over, and he told her that he was going to admit her to the OB floor."

"Does he think that she is in labor?"

"I don't know. He just went in."

"What happened?"

"She said that she wasn't feeling well, so she lied down on the couch. The next thing I know she is screaming. She was writhing in pain, and there wasn't anything I could do. I helped her move into another position, but it didn't help. Nothing helped. I just put her in the car, and told her we were coming to the hospital."

"I hope everything is okay."

Before Angela can offer any reassurances, they both hear screaming coming from Maura's room. The two of them are not permitted in the room. They both wait outside in the hallway for over an hour as medical personnel shuffle in and out. Finally after an hour and a half a nurse enters the hallway, and approaches them.

"The two of you can see her now."

"What's going on?" Jane asks.

"She said that she would explain," the nurse answers.

Jane nods, and she follows Angela into the room. They find Maura lying in the bed wearing hospital garb with a fetal heart rate monitor hooked to her abdomen, and an IV connected to her hand.

"What's going on?"

"They had to administer magnesium sulfate. It appears that today after being outside at the crime scene I did not compensate well enough with fluid replacement. I had fluid and electrolyte loss, and I became dehydrated, and it triggered premature uterine contraction. The contractions were irregular, and there was no cervical change, so they are treating me with fluids, and a dose of magnesium sulfate."

"It is working?"

"Yes," she confirms, "But they are still going to keep me overnight to monitor me."

"Do they think that this happened because of the hyperemesis gravidarum?" Angela questions.

"Yes, so I also earned myself a prescription of Zofran," she admits.

Jane furrows her brow, "What is she talking about?" turning toward Maura.

"Hyperemesis gravidarum is a condition…" Maura begins.

Jane shakes her head, "I know what it is. Why didn't you tell me that you had it?"

Maura shrugs, "I guess I just didn't want to worry you. It hadn't been as bad the past couple of weeks."

"Until yesterday," Angela interjects.

Maura nods, "That is true."

"Maura you consistently pretend to be fine. Every time I ask you if you are still feeling sick you just say that you're fine. Why?"

Maura shrugs, "I don't know. I just feel like you don't need to worry about me."

"Obviously, I do. Did your doctor restrict your activities?"

Maura nods, "I am not allowed to go into the field."

The following morning all of Maura's contractions have dissipated, and her fluid, and electrolytes have returned to normal. Jane drives Maura home, while Angela heads to the grocery store. Jane is sitting on the arm of the couch, as Maura situates herself. Maura looks up at her friend, and suddenly feels as if she isn't present.

"Jane," she says softly.

Jane towards her, "Do you want the remote?"

She shakes her head, "No."

"Can I get you something to drink?"

Maura glances at the coffee table that has half a dozen cold bottles of water sitting on it. She shakes her head, "No. Jane?"

"Hm?" She seems emotionally distant.

"Are you okay?"

She feigns a smile, "I am fine. Are you okay? That was pretty scary, last night."

"I'm fine, other than I'll probably have to pee again in ten minutes."

"I can help you," Jane tells her.

"I'll be okay. Jane what's on your mind?"

"Nothing," she lies.

Before Maura can pry any further Angela comes through the front door with groceries. Jane helps her unpack them. She doesn't stay around for brunch. She heads off to the station, instead. Angela enters the living room with a bowl of fruit and yogurt per Maura's request. Maura shifts into a sitting position as Angela hands her the bowl. Angela takes a seat next to her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Incredibly stupid. I should have known better. I am a doctor. I know…"

Angela cuts her off, "You can't blame yourself. This could have happened to anyone."

Maura shakes her head, "I should have had the body sent back to the morgue. There was no reason that I had to be there. I put my baby's life in jeopardy. Twenty three weeks gestation is far too early for a baby to be born."

"Maura, everything worked out okay. She is still cooking. Eat up. I know you have to be hungry. You didn't touch any of that hospital garbage this morning."

"I drank the juice," she argues.

"I forgot that you had a hankering for juice, and did drink a single container of apple juice."

Maura furrows her brow, "You always call the baby her."

Angela shrugs, "So?"

"Did you read the results of the amniocentesis?"

"No," she insists.

"Why do you always refer to the baby as her?"

"Just mother's intuition, I guess."

"Is it always right?"

Angela shakes her head, "Not always."

"For example?"

"Several years a gal from church was pregnant, and I was convinced that it was a boy."

"It wasn't?"

"She had twins. One boy, one girl."

Maura shakes her head, "I don't think that counts."


	13. Chapter 13

Jane is uncharacteristically quiet, as they walk. Maura studies her posture, her gait, and her wardrobe. She scrutinizes her facial expression. She sees the beads of sweat on her forehead. Maura's attention is drawn to Jane's loose fitting, light-weight zippered, grey hoodie. She interrupts the silence between them.

"Is that a new jacket? I don't think that I have seen it before?"

"No I just found it in the closet. Are you doing okay?"

"I am fine. It isn't even seven o'clock yet, it's not too hot."

"Are you sure?"

"Jane I am fine. It has been a month since I have been to the hospital. I assure you that walking for a brief period of time is not going to trigger contractions. This is no further than I typically walk. You know that."

"I can still worry."

"Aren't you hot in a jacket? You usually always complain that you are melting."

"I'm fine," Jane insists.

"You're sweating," Maura points out.

"I am fine."

Maura stops, and turns towards her. Jane pauses, and returns the glance.

"What?"

Maura looks at her chest, and tilts her head.

"What are you looking at? Do I have a bug on me?"

"Have you had work done?"

Jane's face begins to pucker, "Why would you ask me that? Maura you see me every day. When would I have time to get work done? I don't even know what you are talking about."

"Is that a different kind of bra?"

"Why are you looking at my chest?"

Maura points to a bench approximately ten yards away, "Let's take a break."

"Okay," Jane agrees.

Jane watches as Maura carefully positions herself on the bench. As Jane sits down she notices that Maura is wearing slip on shoes.

"Are you having difficulty tying your shoes?"

"I don't know what would make you think that," Maura responds.

"Slip-on athletic shoes."

"I can tie my shoes, it is just very awkward, and far more time consuming than it should be. You are trying to change the subject."

"Are they comfortable?"

"Jane?"

Jane folds her arms across her chest, and looks into the ever questioning eyes of her best friend, "What, Maura?"

"I have not noticed an uncharacteristically high intake from you."

"What are you talking about, Maura?"

"You said that you didn't have work done."

"Are you implying that my breasts appear larger to you?"

"Yes," she nods in confirmation.

"Maybe your eyesight is affected by your pregnancy."

"Would you take your jacket off? You being hot is making me hot."

"What are you talking about?"

"You are clearly hot. Your face, and hair are soaked in sweat."

"Can we please not do this?"

"I am worried about you."

"Please don't worry about me. You have enough to worry about."

"Have you turned to food, as a coping skill?"

"Yes, clearly," Jane nods, as she vacates her seat. Maura watches as she literally runs off. Maura slowly walks back to Jane's. She fishes the keys out of her pocket, and considers leaving her alone. She unlocks the door, and gets an overwhelming feeling that she shouldn't go home. She locks the car, and crosses the street. Moments later, she is standing at Jane's door. She knocks on the door.

"Go away!" Jane insists.

Maura turns the knob, and enters the apartment, "Lock the door, next time."

Jane stands in the kitchen, behind the counter. She downs a bottle of cold water. Without a word she retrieves a second bottle from the fridge. She hands the bottle to Maura. Maura slowly sips her water. When the bottle is half gone, Maura can no longer stand the silence. She situates herself on a barstool.

"Jane we never discussed how your doctor's appointment went last month."

"Everything was fine," she insists, refusing to make eye contact.

"Is that why you won't look at me?"  
Jane rubs the back of her hand, a habit Maura has known Jane to partake in, when nervous. Jane leans against the counter, and looks everywhere, but at Maura.

"Every time I go to the grocery store, I wonder. Is he there? Is he coming back? How did we not know? How could we have missed all of the signs? I let my guard down, and," her nostrils flare as she trails off.

"It wasn't your fault."

She shakes her head, "All of this was my fault. Everything that happened to you was my fault. I can never forgive myself for being so foolish. Sometimes, I think that your life would be better if you had never met me. I put the people that I love in harm's way. I am tired to losing…" she stops. The lump forming in her throat makes it too difficult to finish.

"No one blames you for this. I don't blame you for this."

"I do."

"Where would I be without you? I would still be known as the Ice Queen. I would still be hiding."

"At least you would be safe."

"Life is not about playing it safe," she argues.

"I am so tired of fighting.  
"Jane, what are you saying?"

"Nothing."

"Jane, I am really worried about you. Are you considering hurting yourself?"

Jane's eyes widen, "Why would you think that?"

"Based on the things you are saying, and your body language."

"Are you asking me if I am considering taking my own life?"

"Yes, that is what I am asking."

"No, I am not."

"Where are you going with this conversation?"

"Some days I feels as if I can't take anymore."

"I understand."

Jane shakes her head, "No, you don't."

"Help me understand."

"I was raped," she exhales, as the walls begin to tumble down. The tears begin to fall.

"Jane, I know. You don't know how many times I have lied awake at night wondering what I could have done differently."

"I did everything that I was supposed to do. I went to every single counseling session. I utilized all of the skills that they gave me, but…" she trails off, again.

"But, what?"

"None of it matters. It isn't enough. It doesn't fix anything. My entire life has been turned upside down, and I don't know how to fix it. I don't even know how to move forward without feeling like nothing will ever be enough."

"Jane, I know that this has been hard on you. I think you just need more time."

"I can't turn back time, Maura."

Maura stares back at a pair of dark brown eyes. Her heart sinks as her neurons fire, coming to a conclusion, which she has forced herself not to consider.


	14. Chapter 14

Maura presses her hand to her mouth. She takes a deep breath, trying to keep herself from panicking. Jane stands in her kitchen, wearing a grey jacket, and a deeply pained facial expression. Her heart beats rapidly, as she waits for the silence to end. The seconds tick away overhead, on the clock on the wall. Jane waits for Maura to come to the conclusion that has been staring them in the face, for months. Jane prays that Maura will say the words, which she cannot find the strength to utter. It is an idea that makes her shudder. She feels as if she is being ripped apart from the inside out.

"Jane," Maura interrupts the silence, and Jane's disruptive thought pattern.

"Maura," she looks at the ground. No other words come.

"You went to the doctor a month ago. You assured me that everything was fine. My gut screamed that something was wrong. My mind wouldn't let me consider the possibility, that you're pregnant."

Jane nods subtly. Without a word Maura rises from her seat. The tears streaming down Jane's face make perfect sense. The tears quickly evolve into sobs. Jane lowers herself to the floor, and leans against the cabinet. Maura takes a seat next to her, on the floor. She holds her close, knowing there is nothing that she can do, or say to make the situation any better. Eventually the pain turns to numbness. Jane unzips her jacket, and pulls it off. She balls it up, and throws it onto the ground.

"Jane what do you want to do?"

"Not this. I don't want this."

"You don't have to do this. You don't always have to soldier on."

"I didn't want you to know. It is getting harder, and harder to hide. I wish that I could wake up, and it would all go away. I can't help but wonder if it was his plan all along. How far does his reach go? Was I actually given emergency contraception in the ER, or was it something else?"

"Jane…"

"No one knows what his intentions were, or are."

"Why are you doing this, if you don't want to?"

"Because I couldn't do anything else," she explains.

"Due to your religious…"

Jane cuts her off, "No. It had nothing to do with religion. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted to. I scheduled the appointment, more than once. I cancelled every time. The other day I…." she can't finish the thought.

"It's okay."

"It is not okay. There is an unborn human being residing inside my womb, and I have never hated anyone more than I hate the other person responsible for its existence. It isn't okay to feel this way. No one should ever feel this way," the tears roll down her cheeks like an angry summer rain.

"What do you want to do, Jane?"

"I don't want to put my family through this."

"What is your plan?"

"I am going to take a leave of absence," she explains.

"Are you sure?"

"I am going to take a leave of absence, and go somewhere that nobody knows me. I am going to have the baby, and come back home, alone."

"What are you going to tell your mother?"

"That the FBI wants to use me as a liason."

"When you come back?"

"I will tell her that it didn't work out."

"She will ask you why," Maura points out.

"I will have to lie."

"Jane, I cannot even begin to imagine how hard this is. I know that what you are feeling right now must be very difficult. I know that you have always had protective instincts, and you want to protect the people that you love."

"Maura, I can't stay here, and put them through this."

"I am not asking you to."

"What are you saying?"

"I think that you should consider talking to your mother. I feel as if this is something that will always eat at you, if you don't."

"I don't know what to say to her."

"Just tell her the facts, and keep details to a minimum. She is far more perceptive than you give her credit for. I also don't think it would be fair to her for you to go away without telling her why. She would constantly worry about you."

"Would you go with me, when I do?"

"I don't think that will be a problem. I only live twenty five feet away from her."

"I know that it is not reasonable for me to consider raising this child. I can only imagine the feelings of resentment that I harbor, but I am finding it very difficult not to begin developing an attachment."

"The chemical cascade that is released during pregnancy is probably responsible for that. It is a protective mechanism."

"I have done my best to ignore all of the signs, and symptoms associated with what is going on."

"How have you fared with that?"

"I was living in a state of denial, until the other day."

"What happened the other day?"

"I was trying to go to sleep, and I felt it move."

"Jane are you sure that you want to do this on your own? It is going to be incredibly difficult, and you have a lot of supportive people in your life."

"Maura, I have to do this on my own."

"What if…" Maura trails off, having difficulty verbalizing one of her worst fears.

"He finds me?" Jane supplies.

"What if he kills you?"

"He won't hurt me until…"

"What if he waits until then? What if he lies in wait, and takes the baby?"

"I won't let that happen. If I have to use my last breath to prevent that from happening, I will. I cannot control the way that this began, but I am damn sure going to make sure that this has a happy ending."


	15. Chapter 15

She leans against the counter, as her mother enters the kitchen. She points to a barstool. She swallows hard, and wills away the tears. She prays the emotions swirling inside of her like a tempest don't overcome her.

"Have a seat, Ma."

Angela nods in agreement, and does not argue. She pulls out the seat, and waits for her daughter to say something. Jane searches her mother's face. Angela sees the look in Jane's eyes. It is a look of darkness, which she has seen more, and more of lately. Jane's hand rests on the surface of the counter. Angela reaches out, and squeezes her hand.

"I'm listening," she says in a soft tone.

Jane nods, "Ma, I am going to be leaving town for a while."

"Where are you going?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why are you going?" She questions.

"Because I have to," Jane answers, as simply as she can.

"What is the reason that I am supposed to believe?"

"That I am on a temporary assignment for the FBI."

"That isn't true, is it?"

Jane shakes her head, "No. This is personal."

"Jane, you haven't been yourself lately."

"That is why I am here. It is also the reason that I have to go. Before I leave, I thought that I owed you an explanation. I didn't want you to spend all of your time worrying about me."

"I always worry about you, no matter what."

"I will not be on assignment. I will not be on duty."

"Why are you leaving? What is really going on with you?"

"Sometimes the worst monsters are right under our noses, and we don't even know it," she begins.

"You are talking about Kent?" Angela assumes.

Jane cringes, "Yes."

"He is the one who hurt you?"

"Yes," she fidgets.

"Are you running?" Angela queries.

"I am not running from him."

"Then why are you leaving?"

"Sometimes you have to do the right thing," she swallows hard, and tries to keep her tears at bay, "even when it is the hardest thing that you could ever possibly do."

"Jane," she touches her daughter's arm, "what are you talking about?"

"I discussed this with Maura about a month ago. I talked to my boss about taking a leave of absence, and he agreed. I am leaving this evening, and I will be back in several months."

"Several months?" Her eyes widen.

"There are a lot of things that I am going to miss," she begins to tear up, "so I need you to take a lot of pictures, and video footage for me."

"Why are you leaving for so long?"

Jane breaks eye contact, and shifts her glance to uncharacteristically loose, flowy shirt with an empire waist. The chocolate color highlights her eyes.

"It is really difficult for me to explain."

Angela furrows her brow, "I don't understand."

"Give me your hand."  
"Why?"

"Ma, just give me your hand."

"Okay," she agrees.

Jane takes a step closer to her mother. She takes her hand, and presses it against the midsection of her shirt. Angela feels a ripple of movement underneath the palm of her hand. As her hand lingers, she can feel that Jane's abdomen is hard, and rounded. Seconds later she feels another ripple of movement, and she feels as if her heart might shatter.

"I know that you might not understand this, but…"

Angela cuts her off, "I understand, Jane." She squeezes Jane's hand.

"Ma, you, and Maura are the only ones who know. I didn't tell anyone else. This is the hardest thing that I have ever had to do, but I know that I have to."

"I am not going to hear from you while you are gone, am I?"

She shakes her head, "No."

"Just come home, safe," Angela begs her.

"I promise."

"Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?"

"Don't. You will make me cry."

"You are the bravest person that I know."

Jane grins, to keep from crying, "It's your fault."

Angela vacates her seat, and rises to meet her daughter. She wraps her arms around her, and presses a sloppy kiss to her forehead.

"I love you."

"I know. I love you too, Ma."

"There is something that you should have, if you are going to have free time on your hands," Angela tells her.

"A tablet to read books on? That is what Maura suggested."

"I saw her slip one into your glove compartment."

"So, no?"

Angela reaches into the cabinet, and pulls out a gaudy plastic bowl from the top shelf, that nobody has ever used. She reaches inside, and pulls out a folded piece of paper. She presses against Jane's palm.

"What's this?" Jane questions, looking at the worn piece of paper.

"It's your grandmother's lasagna recipe. It will take you months go get it right."

"How hard can following a recipe be?"

"The last ingredient is love," Angela tells her.

"Love isn't an ingredient," Jane argues.

Angela smiles widely, "It is if you look in the spice cabinet."

Jane furrows her brow, "Is that a hint?"

"Yes," she nods in confirmation.

"Thanks, Ma."

"Don't lose that."

"You have it memorized," Jane points out.

"Maura might need to use it to make lasagna, sometime."

"You would give my grandmother's recipe to Maura?"

"She is like a daughter to me."

"I am your daughter," Jane reminds her.

"You have it now. She is going to need it."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because her baby is already in love with lasagna."

"He, or she has probably spent too much time with you, already. You can be a very bad influence."


	16. Chapter 16

At a car dealer two and half states away Jane trades off her old two-door, for a newer car, and some of the cash from her pocket. She drives away with an SUV full of belongings owned by her alias. She makes it to her destination, which happens to be a town in South Carolina, with barely over two thousand people. She pulls into the driveway of a two bedroom, ranch style home. She exits the vehicle, and retrieves the key out of a lockbox on the door handle. She unlocks the front door, and flips on the light. She finds a garage door opener lying on the stand next to the door. She quickly moves her car into the garage. She grabs her luggage, and heads into the house through the side door, after shutting the garage door. She makes beeline to the front door. She closes, and locks it behind her. She looks around the living room, and finds a TV, a sofa, and a recliner. In front of the sofa she finds a coffee table, with a dish of candy, and a note from the previous occupants. She reads the note, and heads into the master bedroom.

She lies down on the bed, and contemplates her next move. Her growling stomach leads her out of the room, into the kitchen. She stops in front of the stainless steel fridge, and finds a sticky note posted to it. It reads; _We didn't want this to all to go to waste. Help yourself._ She pulls the door open, and finds random grocery items. She opens the freezer, and finds a frozen pizza. After so many hours of driving, she does not feel like preparing a three course meal. She turns on the oven, and throws the pizza inside.

* * *

Maura enters her house, after a long day at work. She finds Angela in her kitchen, preparing dinner. She slips out of her shoes, which happen to be a very unappealing pair of medical clogs. She hoists herself onto the barstool.

"How was your day?"

"It's not the same without her," she admits.

"It is only temporary."

"I know. I just wish that things were different," Maura answers.

"I thought that you were getting adjusted. It has been more than a month."

"The baby will be here any day."

"She told me not to let you give the baby any stupid names."

"Did she provide an example?"  
Angela nods, as she reaches into the junk drawer. She digs out a folded piece of paper, from a yellow legal pad. She gives the list to Maura. Maura reads the first name on the list.

"Madison is a perfectly acceptable name," Maura complains.

"She gave me very specific instructions," Angela responds.

"Which include, what?"

"I am to tell you to dig a little bit deeper."

Maura reads the list further, "What is wrong with Cooper?"

"It's cute for a dog," Angela doesn't miss a beat."

"Did she tell you to say that?"

"No. That is my opinion."

"It is gender neutral," Maura argues.

"It is too plain. Do you want your child spending their entire life with a plain, boring name?"

"At least their name won't mean bitter."

"Maybe you should just wait until you actually meet the baby," she suggests.

"Today was my last day of work. He, or she is supposed to be here in two weeks."

"You think that baby is going to come on its due date?"

"It is a scientifically based calculation," Maura argues.

"Maura, it will come when it's ready. It could be today, or it could be a month from now."

"Today," Maura answers.

"I was just saying that. I don't actually think that it will be today."

Maura shakes her head, "Today, or tomorrow," as she looks at her watch.

"You are being ridiculous."

"My mucous membranes just ruptured," Maura explains.

"Are you telling me that your water just broke?"

"Yes."

"Have you been having contractions?"

"No more than usual."

"Should we go to the hospital?"

"It could be several hours. We should wait until they get closer together."

"Okay," Angela agrees.

* * *

1:12 AM—

Maura is covered in sweat, and other bodily fluids as they place the brand new baby on her chest. Angela takes the opportunity to snap a picture.

"Here's your boy," the nurse tells her.

Maura carefully examines the naked, crying baby, who is indeed of the male persuasion.

"Hi, Ethan," she greets.

Angela furrows her brow, "Where did that come from? That name wasn't on your list."

Maura stares at the blue eyed boy, who lies on her chest, searching for the sound of her voice. He is bald, and slimy. She grins, "I don't know, but here he is."

Hours later, Angela watches, as Maura falls asleep, with her newborn son, deemed Ethan Matthew. The newborn rests against her chest. Angela fights the urge to take the baby from her clutches. She ignores the urge, and turns the flash off on her camera. She snaps a picture, and returns to her seat.

Maura's eyes flutter open, "Can you take him for a minute? I need to pee."

"Gladly," Angela stands up, and scoops the baby up out of her arms. Maura carefully proceeds to make her way to the bathroom. Angela holds the sleeping baby in her arms.

"I don't think your mom realized how much she could love a bald man."


	17. Chapter 17

Jane stands in the living room window, and watches at the autumn rain beats against the pane of glass. She wears a men's t-shirt, and a pair of pajama bottoms. The shirt hugs her midsection. The being inside of her dances around. She closes the curtains, and retires to her room. She flips on the lamp, and crawls into bed. She glances at the book lying on the bedside stand, but decides against picking it up. Her eyes are drawn to the undeniable bump looking up at her.

"Are you doing to sleep, tonight?" She questions.

The baby doesn't stop moving.

"I am pretty sure that you are going to have a very successful soccer career. I should probably return to my research."

She turns towards the nightstand, and picks up the binder. She flips open to the tab, and begins to read. She looks at profile after profile, pouring over every single detail. Her hand soon comes to rest on her rounded abdomen.

"What do you think?" The tap-dancer ends its performance. "How do I chose the people who spend the rest of their lives being your parents? I wish that I knew. I wish a lot of things were different."

* * *

She sits in a glider, in the nursery. She rocks her sleeping baby back, and forth. Angela enters the room.

"Maura, you should go to bed."

"I can't help but stare at him," she admits.

"He is pretty spectacular," Angela agrees.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Maura questions.

"Tell you what?"

"That this is what it would be like."

Angela grins, "Because you never would have understood."

"I don't think I ever want to go back to work."

"He has to have an education," Angela points out.

Maura moves the infant close to her face. She inhales the scent of his freshly bathed body.

"Your mother called."

"I'll call her back later," Maura insists.

"Maura, it has been a week since he was born. You didn't even tell her that you were pregnant until your eighth month. I think you need to call her back."

"Constance has always been deeply involved in…"

Angela cuts her off, "It doesn't matter how you feel about her. Love should be multiplied, not divided. A new baby is a second chance. Just because she was cold, and emotionally distant as a mother does not mean that is what she will be like as a grandmother."

"It's late," Maura argues.

"Maura, it is two o'clock in the afternoon. Put Ethan down for his nap, and call your mother back."

"I don't want to put him down."

"When he is eighteen are you going to hold him while he sleeps?"

"Good point, will you take him?"

Angela chuckles, "Of course. Go call Constance."

Maura sighs, as she hands her son to Angela. Angela takes a seat on the glider. She rocks the sleeping baby, who wears a dinosaur sleeper, as Maura exits the room. Maura heads into the kitchen to hydrate. She downs a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, before giving a second thought to calling her mother. She picks the phone up off the counter, and unlocks it. She is greeted by a photo of her son, sleeping. She reluctantly begins to dial. She expects the call to go straight to voicemail. Constance answers after two rings.

"Hello?"

"It's me," Maura begins.

"I haven't heard from you in a week, I was growing concerned. Is everything alright?"

"Other than some sleep deprivation everyone here is fine."

"I see."

"Would you like to come over, and meet your grandson?"

"Grandson?"

"Yes," Maura confirms, "he is rather delightful. I don't know when you will be available, but if you let me know I can be available."

"I am free now."

"I am certain that it would take you some time go get here. I don't want to inconvenience you."

"I am only about ten to twelve minutes from your house, Maura."

"You are?"

"After you told me, I decided to return to Boston. I realize that I made a lot of mistakes when you were growing up, and one of the biggest ones was not being available when you needed me. I do not want to repeat my mistakes."

"We are home now."

"I will be over shortly," Constance agrees.

In less than half an hour Constance arrives. Angela greets her at the door.

"Come in."

Constance totes a gift bag in one hand.

"I will show you to the nursery. He just woke up, and she is changing him."  
"That sounds wonderful."

Angela leads her to the nursery. Maura has the baby lying on the changing table. She is snapping his sleeper, when they walk into the room. Maura scoops the baby off the changing table. She grins, as Angela silently retreats from the room.

"I am glad that you came."

Constance's resting bitch face transforms into a smile when she sees the bright eyed baby boy. She holds up a gift bag.

"Could we trade?"

"Yes," she agrees.

Constance places the gift bag on the glider, and Maura carefully places the infant into her arms.

"Is he bald?" Constance asks as she notices the green cap on his head.

"Yup."

"You were bald too. I thought that you would be bald forever."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't have much hair until after your first birthday."

"I didn't realize."

Constance studies the baby who lies in her arms. "Hi, Ethan."

He locks eyes with her. Maura quietly removes the tissue paper from the bag. She finds an exquisite outfit for her son, and a book. She opens the book, and finds a picture of herself.

"When you called I pulled this out. I thought that you should have it."

Maura thumbs through the book. She finds that it is full of pictures from every special occasion for the first ten years of her life.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"Maura, I would like to me involved in my grandson's life, if that is okay with you."

"As long as you are consistent, I have no objections."


	18. Chapter 18

She walks around the block in her sneakers, a pair of athletic pants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and heavy jacket. She finds her neighbor moving towards her. She silently reminds herself to be nice, as the nosiest woman in the neighborhood approaches her. She knows that running won't help, as Carol is an avid runner, and Jane is impeded by her physical condition. She stops, and allows Carol to join her.

"Jamie, do you know anyone from Ohio?"

"Not to my knowledge," she admits, furrowing her brow.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It is probably nothing," Carol insists.

"What is nothing?"

"Yesterday when you left for work I saw an SUV parked outside your house."

"Can you describe the make, and model of the car?"

Carol reaches into her pocket. She hands Jane a scrap of paper. "Make, model, and license plate. I also got a description of the driver."

"Carol, there is obviously a reason that you are the head of the neighborhood watch."

"They don't call me nosey Carol, for nothing."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"How much longer do you have to go?"

Jane glances at her watch, "Probably about ten more minutes."

Carol shakes her head, "Until the baby gets here?"

"Oh, almost a month."

"Do you know what you're having? I am being nosey, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I do know," she admits, "I'm having a boy."

"Do you want to come inside for some hot cocoa?"

"Is this where you murder me for my baby?" Jane jokes.

"Are you kidding me? I already have three boys, I wouldn't want another one. They are teenagers now, and they are not pleasant."

"I heard that Emily punched her brother in the face on the way to mass the other day."

She nods, "I wish I could say otherwise, but she is in the middle of all those boys. She acts just like them."

"Someone said that she wanted to be a cop. I have seen her at the range, with her dad."

Carol grins, "She is the only one who will go with him. My sons are too involved in their video games."

"She's a good shot."

"At least she has goals, my boys goals involve bologna sandwiches, and stinky gym shorts."

"Sounds delightful."

"It's not all bad. They are just growing into their skin."

"That is a good way to put it."

"Jamie how did you end up here?"

"Life happened, I guess."

"I better get in to my pack, it is feeding time. Stay safe, and don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

"You shouldn't say that, you are an OB nurse," Jane reminds her, "I might take you up on that offer."

"Delivering them is a whole lot easier than raising them."

When Jane gets inside she pulls a flip phone out of a plastic container on the top of the fridge. She dials a number. On the second ring she gets an answer.

"This is Nina."

"Nina I am sending information, can you trace it? I'll include a callback number."

"Jane?"

"I have to go," she hangs up. She texts the information to Nina, and hangs up the phone. She removes the battery of the phone. She takes the phone, and submerges it into a cup of water. She turns on a second phone, and pours herself a cup of tea as she waits for the phone to ring. She answers it on the first ring.

"I traced the information. The plates are stolen. The car matches the description of a stolen car from North Carolina."

"Thank you, Nina."

"I am also sending you a picture, before you destroy your phone."

"Okay, bye," she hangs up.

Less than ten seconds later she receives a picture message. She studies the picture of the chunky baby boy. She reads the attached details, and then turns the phone off. She destroys the second phone.

She turns off the lights in the house, and heads into the garage. She proceeds to pull a string. She pulls the steps down, and climbs up into the attic of the garage. She walks through the aisles of storage to a small octagonal window at the end of the garage. She takes a seat in her lawn chair, and picks up her binoculars. She sits in the attic for over an hour, but finds nothing suspicious. Eventually she leaves her look out, and goes back inside. She showers, and pulls on pajamas.

As she climbs into bed she realizes her back is aching. She chalks it up to climbing around the attic. She applies moisturizer to her hands, and glances at the stack of binders in the corner of the room. She opens the folder lying on her bedside stand. She reads the information inside for the hundredth time. She flips off her light, and rolls onto her side. Sleep comes quicker than anticipated. She wakes up unexpectedly a few hours later. She rolls over, and finds that her alarm clock reads; _4:03._ She kicks off the covers, feeling hot. She flips on the lamp, and heads into the master bathroom. As she steps over the threshold into the bathroom she feels fluid running down her leg. As she inhales she feels a sharp pain, and pelvic pressure. She glances at the clock on the wall. She changes into clean pajama bottoms, and puts her watch back on. She positions herself in the living room, and flips on the TV.

The contractions are quicker that the intervals between commercial breaks. She grabs the landline out of the kitchen, and dials the neighbor's house. After one ring the party on the other line answers.

"Jamie, are you okay?"

"Carol, I hope that I didn't wake you."

"I have been up. I have to work this morning. I something wrong?"

"I am definitely in labor," she admits.

"How long have you been having contractions?"

"In retrospect, I think that I have been having them all day. I thought that they were Braxton-hicks contractions."

"They could be," Carol reassures her.

"My water broke about an hour ago."

"You still have time to make it to the hospital. I will be leaving soon. I can take you with me."

"Carol can you come over here?"

"Sure."

Within three minutes Carol is at her door. Jane ushers her into the house. Carol is already wearing her scrubs, with her purse in tow.

"Jane how far apart are your contractions?"

"About three minutes," she admits.

"Do you have your bag ready?"

"Yes," Jane confirms, "It is in the closet."

"I'll get it."

"I feel a lot of pressure," Jane adds.


	19. Chapter 19

"Let's go ahead, and get you to the hospital," Carol suggests.

Jane agrees, and leads Carol to the closet to retrieve her bag. Before they can return to the living room, it sounds as if the door opens. Jane looks at Carol, and silently presses her finger to her lip. Carol nods in understanding. Jane steps away from the closet, and points to the door next to them. She quietly opens the door, and they step down a few steps towards the basement. Jane locks the basement door. Carol heads into the basement. Jane follows her. When they reach the bottom of the stairs Jane flips on the light. It looks like any basement in any retiree's home. There is a lazy chair, and a big screen TV. There is sports memorabilia on the wall. Jane leads Carol to the edge of the basement. She grips a door handle. She pulls it open, and Carol follows her into what appears to be an old canning room. Carol looks around the room that is no bigger than a closet. A painting hangs on the wall.

"That seems out of place," Carol comments.

Jane removes the painting off the wall, and reveals a key pad. She types in a number, and rehangs the painting. The wall suddenly moves away from them. Carol follows Jane into the room. Jane pushes the steel door closed behind her. She turns on a light, and reveals an eight by ten safe room. There is a cot, and a shelf full of non-perishable items. There is a large safe in one corner of the room.

"Should I ask why this house has a safe room?" Carol questions.

"No."

"Can I ask why we are in the safe room?"

"He found me."

Carol furrows her brow, as she watches Jane grimace in pain, "Just breathe," she reminds her. Carol places the bag on the floor, near her feet.

"Carol, my name is not Jamie. My name is Jane."

"Okay. Why are you using an alias?"

"I am just hiding from a deranged sociopath," she explains.

"Jane, I couldn't help but notice that there isn't a room for the baby. Are you not planning on staying much longer?"

"No I am not."

Carol watches Jane, as she takes a seat on the cot. She silently unzips the black bag, and pulls out a cell phone. She texts a series of coordinates, and information. She reaches into the bag once again, and pulls out a case. She removes a handgun from the case.

"Jane, you're not planning on keeping this baby, are you?"

"No," she admits, refusing to make eye contact.

"Can I assume that the deranged sociopath that we are hiding from is the father?"

"Yes."

"You weren't in a relationship?"

"No," she answers, as she removes the clip from the weapon, and places it on top of the case.

"You're in a lot of pain?" She shifts gears.

"Yes," Jane confirms.

"I think that we should examine the dilation of your cervix."

"That isn't necessary," Jane argues.

Carol slips her bag off her shoulder. She reaches inside, and pulls out gloves, and a plastic barrier.

"You carry that in your purse?"

She shakes her head, "No. This is my work bag."

"Oh."

"Jane we need to check your progress."

"He is going to make it into the basement. I don't want to be lying here defenseless, because I am pushing."

"We don't know that you are to that stage. We won't until we check."

"I…"

"Now!" Carol uses her nurse voice.

Carol places the protective barrier underneath Jane. Jane reluctantly decides to take off her pajama bottoms. Carol pulls on gloves. Before Carol can check progress they hear someone outside the room.

"Can he hear us?" Carol questions.

"The room is soundproof. That only helps if he doesn't figure out this is a safe room."

"You had to put in a combination."

"He is smart," Jane answers.

"He is going to have to wait," Carol tells her.

"Why?"

"Because you are crowning."

"Say, what?"

She flexes Jane's leg. She makes eye contact, and maintains a smooth, even tone a she speaks.

"Jane on your next contraction you are going to push."

Carol pulls over the TV tray, and places her instruments on it.

"I can't," she insists.

Carol pulls out a sterile drape, and lays it over Jane's upper half. On top of the sterile drape she lays a receiving blanket. She pulls a trash bag out of her bag, and moves everything else aside. She places the trash bag on the floor next to them. She pulls off her gloves, and dons a new pair.

"Jane," she says calmly, "You have to push. That baby's head is coming out. It is coming whether you want it to or not."

"Don't let him touch this baby. No matter what happens. Promise me…"

"Jane, I promise you. I am not going to let anything happen to this baby. I know that you are scared, but you need to push. Focus on me."

"Okay," she agrees.

On her next contraction she pushes.

"You're doing great," Carol tells her, "Keep breathing."

Jane takes a few deep breaths, and is instructed to push again. She watches helplessly, as Carol deliver's the baby's head. Jane feels relieved that the cot had several pillows to support the upper half of her body.

"We're almost there," Carol reassures her, "Give me another big push."

Jane screams in pain, as she pushes. Her face grows redder, and she becomes increasingly more diaphoretic. Carol lifts the baby out of the birth canal, and suctions his mouth with a bulbous syringe. He begins wailing at the top of his lungs. She places the baby on Jane's chest. Jane stares at the newborn in silence, as she screams. Carol vigorously rubs the baby's back as he lays on his side. He faces Jane, covered in slime. Without a word Carol clamps the cord, and then cuts it with a pair of scissors.

"Jane I know that you are scared. That is okay. I know that this is difficult for you, but I need you to hold onto him while I deliver the placenta."


	20. Chapter 20

"Okay," she reluctantly agrees. She no longer pays any attention to what Carol is doing. She simply follows her directions, as she stares at the crying newborn baby lying on her chest. Carol lifts the baby off her chest, and proceeds to swaddle him in the receiving blanket. She hands him back to Jane, placing him in her arms. Jane never takes her eyes off the newborn. Her heart races, knowing that at this very moment Kent is doing everything he possibly can to get to them. Within a few moments Carol delivers the placenta. Jane watches her in confusion, as she examines the placenta. She drops the placenta into the trash bag. Jane hears footsteps of her head, more than one set.

"The swat team is here," Jane informs her.

Carol grabs a second sterile drape out of her bag. She places it on Jane's lower half. They hear someone typing numbers into the keypad. Jane's eyes widen in fear. She feels helpless, as she lies there holding a newborn baby. Carol peels off her gloves, and grabs the weapon that lies on the floor between them. She loads the weapon. The second that she racks the weapon Jane can tell that she has had experience.

The door opens, and Kent enters the safe room. Jane holds tightly to the newborn baby in her arms.

"Jane give him to me, and no one gets hurt."

"No. You can't have him. There is only one way that this ends, and it is with you in a body bag."

"You think that the neighbor scares me. She is just some housewife. She probably couldn't shoot a gorilla at close range."

He wears a kevlar vest, as he points his weapon at them. He moves towards Jane, and the baby. Carol steps between them.

"Not on my watch," she insists.

"Move," he points his weapon at her head. His finger moves towards the trigger. Carol doesn't hesitate. She points the handgun at him, and takes a single shot. The sound of the shot ripples through the house. The boots above their heads quickly move towards them. Jane watches as Kent's lifeless body hits the concrete floor. The bullet to his head is a through and through. He bleeds out on the concrete. Within seconds the Swat team moves into the room, and removes the gun from Carol's hand. The next several moments are a blur. Soon Jane finds herself in the back of an ambulance. Carol sits next to her, as they paramedic tries to assess the situation.

"Can I take a look at the baby?"

Jane shakes her head, "He is fine."

"His respirations are easy, and regular. The hospital is only a few minutes away," Carol points out.

The paramedic nods, and the rig begins to move. Carol pulls a phone out of her pocket. She offers it to Jane.

"Jane, is there anyone that you want to call?"

She slips the phone from her hand, and dials a familiar number. After two rings a familiar voice comes on the line.

"Hello?"

"Ma?"

"Jane! It's so good to hear your voice. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Can you do something for me?"

"Anything," she agrees.

"I need you on the next plane to South Carolina."

"Okay."

"Call Nina, and she will find you a flight."

"I am on my way. I love you, Janie."

"Love you, too, Ma."

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she hangs up the phone. She hands the phone back to Carol. She smiles at the middle aged woman.

"Thank you, for everything."

"Just doing my job."

"You're a good shot," Jane adds.

"It was my hobby, before it was my husbands."

"How did you stay so calm?"

"I am an OB nurse, it's my job. Jane I have delivered hundreds, maybe thousands of a babies. It is always high stakes. There is always a brand new life on the line."

* * *

Hours later Angela reaches the hospital. She follows a nurse to a room, at the end of the hallway. She opens the door, and steps into the room. She finds Jane lying in bed, holding a newborn. She stops at the side of the room, and plants a sloppy kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"I am just glad that you are okay."

"We are fine."

"I heard that Kent found you. Nina told me. I was so scared. What happened to him?"

"The nurse who just walked you in shot him in self-defense."

"Jane I am surprised," she admits, as she studies the sleeping baby in her arms.

Jane breaks eye contact, and scrutinizes the sleeping baby in her arms. She hasn't let go of him since he was born, for more than a few moments. His cap hides his dark hair. His eyelids cover his dark blue eyes. She watches him in silence as his chest rises, and falls.

"Talk to me," Angela implores, as she pulls up a chair.

"I was so afraid about today. I was afraid that something would happen to him. I couldn't stomach the thought of anyone hurting him. I was lying there, with him in my arms, and Kent came into the safe room. I didn't want him to touch him, or take him. I am terrified that something will happen to him. How can I possibly let him out of my sight? I didn't think that I could do this. I didn't think that I would feel anything. The second that I saw him, I just wanted to protect him. The entire time I was pregnant I tried to keep my feelings in check. I assumed that I wouldn't feel anything, because of the circumstances."

"Jane," she touches Jane's hand, "You can't carry someone inside of you, just under your heart, for nine months, and feel nothing. It doesn't work that way. That is why it is so hard. For the rest of your life you feel like you have part of your heart walking around outside of your body. I support whatever decision that you make. You have to choose what is best for you, and for him. You have to be self-less, and that is the hardest thing to do."

"I can't do it."

"Do what?" Angela questions.

"Spend the rest of my days with him being raised by someone else. How am I supposed to protect him if he is with someone else? I knew that it would be difficult, but I didn't know that I would feel like this."

"What are you saying?"

"He is my son," Jane answers.


	21. Chapter 21

"No matter how much a part of him is someone else, he is mine. He grew inside of me for nine months. He shares half of my DNA. He is my son. I never thought that I wanted to be a parent. I thought that it would be a burden. I guess that in my mind I thought it would keep me from my career, and that has always been so important. I just want him to be healthy, and happy, and safe," she explains, as she places a kiss on his forehead.

"You want to keep him?"

"Yes," she confirms.

"Are you going to come back home?"

"Yes," she admits.

"And you're going to go back to work?"

"I don't know."

"Janie, do you have anything ready for a baby?"

"No," she reveals.

"I have to tell you something," Angela begins.

"What?"

"Maura wouldn't let me come on my own. She is at a hotel nearby."

"Oh."

"Do you want to see her?"

"Of course. She is my best friend."

"I will call her shortly."

"In the mean time?"

"Give me my grandson," she vacates her seat.

Jane grins, and offers the baby to her. Angela returns to her seat, with an armful of baby. The newborn boy has chubby cheeks, and drools as he sleeps.

"He's perfect. He looks a lot like you."

"Not entirely," Jane admits.

"He's all of the best parts of you. He even has the same chubby cheeks that you did."

"He was born three weeks before his due date, and yet he weighed eight pounds. He is kind of chunky."

"I think that he is perfect."

"That was my assessment," Jane agrees.

"What is his name?"

"Caden Noel."

Angela grins, "Hi, Caden."

"Ma, what am I going to tell people?"

"Those who matter won't mind, and those who mind don't matter."

"I am serious. I don't know what to say."

"Tell the truth. Always tell the truth."

"What do I say to my son?"

"When he is old enough you explain it to him."

"How do I keep him from thinking that he is unwanted?"

"Jane, just love him."

"I never anticipated being a single parent."

"I am always here for you."

"Thanks, Ma."

"You know, he kind of looks a little bit like Ethan, except with hair."

"I guess that they are technically related," Jane points out.

A knock on the door interrupts their conversation.

"Come in," Jane instructs.

Maura enters the room, with a diaper bag draped over her shoulder, and a baby carrier in her hand. She smiles widely, as she sees her friend.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't stay there and wait any longer. I had to see you."

She moves across the room towards Jane, "I hope it is okay that I brought Ethan."

Angela speaks up, "Maura I don't think that she is upset."

Maura directs her attention to Angela, and realizes that she is holding a baby. Maura places the car seat on the end of the bed, and removes her sleepy boy from his restraints.

"What does this mean?" Maura queries.

"It means that tomorrow we are all going home," Jane answers.

"All five of us are going back to Boston," Angela clarifies.

Maura walks around the other end of the bed, she studies the baby sleeping in Angela's arms.

"Jane, he's perfect."

"You can hold him if you can pry him away from ma."

"I suspect that she had to pry him away from you," Maura guesses.

"I think that Ethan mentioned he really wants to meet his Auntie Jane," Jane adds.

Maura smiles, as she places the bald, sleepy baby in her arms.

"Hi, Ethan. I am your auntie, Jane. I suspect you will be getting into all kinds of trouble for many years to come."

He opens his eyes, and looks up at her with bright blue eyes, "Hi, handsome."

Angela passes Caden to Maura. Maura studies the newborn baby in her arms.

"He has hair," she can see a few stray hairs sticking out from underneath his cap.

"All Rizzoli babies have hair," Jane grins.

Jane scoots over, and Maura takes a seat next to her on the bed. Angela watches as their eyes bob from one baby, to the other.

"They have the same ears," Maura points out.

"And the same chin," Jane adds.

"Technically they are half-brothers," Maura reminds her.

"Which means they are going to spend the rest of their lives getting in trouble together."

"And giving the both of you gray hair," Angela adds.

Caden's eye's suddenly pop open. His brow furrows, and his cheeks turn bright red. He begins wailing.

"It's okay," Jane insists, as Maura places him on her chest. Maura lifts Ethan out of her arms. Jane wordlessly places the baby against her chest, gently patting him, until he stops crying.


End file.
